jethin

Where I live people fought long and hard for bike lanes, to safely ride bicycles in. Today there are all manner of motorized vehicles in these lanes, including large, heavy gas-powered and super-charged electric motorcycles doing whatever speed in whatever direction they want. These people generally don’t give two whits about anyone else on the road, just like the drivers.

You’re fortunate enough to have a nice, quiet MUP in your area? You should thank your lucky stars that it hasn’t been overrun with idiots like these. Yet.

I’ll never understand why some people can’t enjoy anything that doesn’t involve a motor.

spinnanz

I'm lucky in that the paths are near deserved when I use them, being 5am and 2pm. Weekends are busy, which is when I revert to "normal" bike speeds.

The worst offenders for speed I've found to be electric scooter riders. On deserted straights generally they can't pass me, but when we come to pedestrians and I back off the speed, they tend not to and then pass me and the other path user at full speed.

In reference to why can't people enjoy something without a motor, my main use for the bike is to commute to work, so moderate speed + lack of effort needed was the order of the day.

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Classtime 

Lack of effort commute? Get back in your car enjoy your latte in airconditioned comfort. If you come to pedestrians on a path, then it is not deserted.

spinnanz

By definition if any part of my ride has no one on it, then it is deserted on THAT part. My whole ride is not deserted hence only going fast where it IS deserted and the conditions permit.

Work commute = $4 each way if I use the gas car or $0.81 each way if I use the electric car. I'll be using my ebike, with no effort, at $0.03 each way thanks .

Additionally the car only saves me about 3 minutes so it's not worth using the car at all based on time.

Classtime 

Those of us who use the MUPs in the correct manner for which they were designed and built wish you would save those 3 minutes and get back in your car because it is worth it to us.

edit: by the way, I'm a hater.

spinnanz

You sound like you get hurty feelings when an ebike passes you. Do you yell out "cheat" like some some of the lycra clad guys do over here?

Please do tell me how it's worth it to you for me to stop using a shared path. Me riding at any speed has zero affect on anyone else, as long as I pass them at normal speeds

If I'm not a danger to other path users, I'm not breaking any laws here in nz (we have no ebike speed limit here on non road shared paths), and as such will continue to use it to my financial advantage of saving $ anytime I can.

Classtime 

Cool. Then it's not likely that you'll bring your motorbike here and run over my neighbor's kids as they weave and wobble on the bike path.
I stopped talking to motorcyclists on the MUP a while ago. The most recent exchange went--

Me: "You don't appear to be disabled."
Motorman:, "I'm just lazy."

spinnanz

How would I run over kids? The video clearly shows I came off he throttle a full 10 seconds before reaching the runner and walker. It also clearly shows I slowed down to 12kph (9mph) when I passed them.

Your argument that I could run over a weaving kid makes zero sense given there is no video of me passing any weaving kids and I obviously don't pass people at great speed, as clearly shown in the video. You yourself more than likely pass people at that speed too, in which case you are just as much a danger to others as I am.

You are getting salty over stuff that "could" happen, rather than what "is" happening seems a bit of a Karen (Ken for boys?) to me.

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JulesCW 

Surely you are not surprised by the fact that some of the reactions to your post are not positive? FWIW, you must have realized (if not intended) that you would provoke folks with a post about your C&V e-moped. Mission accomplished.

You "might" be the most responsible e-moped user ever, and you say you live in a place with no laws or restrictions on types of vehicles or speed on MUPs -- the vast majority of us do not live is such a place, and our (and many other trail users we interact with) experiences with e-moped users intent on doing top speed runs on MUPs has been far less than stellar. Most rule and norm breakers present themselves as the exception in order to justify their actions. You're violating both rules and norms in most of the world, hence our dismay.

machinist42

You're a Kiwi?

So there are Trolls in New Zealand!

spinnanz

Fully agree it may stir cyclists up even though I ride in a responsible manner past people.

But ld bet everyone here has at some stage been painted by someone in the general public as one of those cyclists who thinks they own the road, runs red lights, ignores road rules, runs down old ladies etc.

A large number of vehicle drivers judge all cyclists on the bad behavior of some riders. Yet here we have cyclists doing the exact same thing because of some ebike riders bad riding. If Id endangered anyone in the video id take heed of any warning I got from you guys, but I see nothing in the video to worry about.

spinnanz

In nz, but not a Kiwi sorry! Ozzy has far stricter ebike laws.

clubman 

E-bikes just aren't my tribe so I've not much to contribute to say except that the majority of e-bikers I meet (avoid) suck as far as skills and common sense are concerned. Faster motors, proper licences and legislation are coming.
I hear Grant Peterson's working on an e-bike!

squirtdad

all in all not untrue, but my personal observations are that I see a much higher percentage of electric moped/motorcycel riders riding like idiots (note ebike, ie pedal assist don't seem to be as much of idiots)....both on Mups and in bike lanes. much worse than the hard core roadies (which I most closely look like to casual observers). So it is not some, it is in at least my case the majority of electrick moped/motorcycle riders. there is worse though about 10 to 15 people on the one wheel electric scoote/skateboard things... no skils and cutting in on people..from the side.... or the guy yesterday who decided to take and old 2 stroke motocross bike on the mup......still gagging from fumes

3alarmer 

.
...this reminds me of some of the Mad Mike videos. But on the MUP.

cudak888 

And drivers equally irresponsibly...almost as if (gasp) people aren't inherently different depending on the mode of transportation they use! Gosh!

Sweeping generalizations and anecdotes aren't helpful towards building safer, more accommodating streets for people who aren't using automobiles. This is the analog riders' equivalent to the motorists who claims that all bicycle riders run red lights - you've only internalized the bad experiences and singled out the mode because it's different. It happened when the highwheeler came out too.

-Kurt

P.S.: In my city, hard-core roadie pelotons will gladly gang up on whoever and whatever is on an MUP, sidewalk, or parking lot if something gets in their way. It doesn't prove a thing about a peloton ride with completely different people 20 miles away.

Classtime 

spinnanz All you do is motorbike.
go here https://www.bikeforums.net/electric-bikes/

3alarmer 

.
...kudos to whichever moderator repositioned this obvious troll is obvious thread over here in the e-bikes forum. I honestly don't get why it's fun to troll the C+V forum with stuff like this ?

cudak888 

Whether you like the OP's riding or not, the bike itself is a 1950's Raleigh Sports with a rear motorized hub conversion. Seems to work really nicely.

-Kurt

3alarmer 

...every Raleigh Sports I ever had, the rear hub worked really nicely. Personally, I'm out there riding for the exercise, so I stay out of the e-bike forum. I just ended up in here by mistake. I get that you are starting a museum for bike share e-bikes. It's just not my thing, and they have thus far proven to be a royal PIA in my city. YMMV

spinnanz

This difference is I'm using the bike for transport rather than the experience (although I do enjoy the ride home). Loosing the rear 3 speed hub was the biggest disappointment I've had with this build.

StanSeven

Whoops. Forgot to post this last night here with the move

cudak888 

I've had tons of AWs that work beautifully. I also don't usually use my AW-equipped bikes; I prefer FWs for my C&V riding. What's more, the only serious commuter Sports I have has a Nexus 8-speed and aluminum rims.

So now my opinion in this thread is weighted against my interest in shared bikes? How rude.

-Kurt

P.S.: Let me entertain your red-herring counterpoint for one second: If you had spent any time of substance on the Bike Share Museum website, you would have realized that only one operator of an electric shared bike is represented in the entire museum. The rest are pushbikes.

veganbikes

E-bikes are bicycles that require pedaling in order to assist your pedaling. A moped may have pedals but it is really more for throttling.

In terms of going fast on a Multi Use Path NOT OK. It is not a matter of you stopped in time during a filmed portion it is you cannot predict much and on a bike like that you won't be able to stop very well. Vintage brakes aren't known for excellent stopping power especially when faced with a motor. There is a reason they are called MUPs because it is for a lot of users and there is no need to speed especially not on a motorbike. E-bikes are fine they are bikes, but if you are throttling they make roads for that purpose. I own an e-bike and have ridden on paths but I am not looking to go fast. Nobody should no matter what bike unless you are in a true emergency situation. On the bike you are essentially the car on the MUP and if you are using a throttle and going really fast you are essentially a big truck rolling coal. Sure yes there are plenty of non-bikers who also don't respect the MUP but you cannot really change their behavior but you can always change yours.

Be safe out there and respect your local paths so we can all continue to use them.

speedy25

Its already been done! Look on youtube. The rear wheel is powered by a hub drive. Works well. I would do it if I had one of those bikes!